If your aim is to try to get a specific artist to record your song, you will have a better chance of success if your demo makes it easy for people to imagine the artist per- forming the song.
Not only does the song have to be tailored musically and lyrically to suit the artist that you’re targeting, it’s also important to personalize the arrangement on the demo so that it is as close as possible to the basic style of the artist.
That means taking time to analyze the artist’s previous hits and, most importantly, his or her (or their) vocal range and favored keys. You should also study the arrangements of other songs recorded by the artist, and try to emulate that sound on your demo.
If the artist you’re targeting is female, then the lead vocal on your demo should obviously be female. If the artist is a dance-oriented pop star, the demo needs good beats … and shouldn’t sound country! And if you’re pitching to a vocal group with several lead singers, take the sound of each singer into account.
Of course, tailoring a pitch demo doesn’t mean making a full, multi-instrument studio recording that sounds as good as one of the artist’s own tracks. You only need to produce it to the point where it will make a producer, A&R manager or a publisher sit up and take notice. It should help them to judge whether the song could work for the artist.
If they feel your song has strong potential, they may then take your demo to the next level and play it for the artist.
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